No handshake between India, Pakistan players after Asia Cup 2025 match

DUBAI: Pakistan and India players notably avoided shaking hands after the conclusion of the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash between the arch-rivals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

With just three runs needed to win, India’s Suryakumar Yadav struck a six to finish the match in the 16th over. 

After hitting the winning runs, Suryakumar and teammate Shivam Dube exchanged fist bumps and congratulated each other, before heading straight to the dressing room. 

They shook hands with their teammates at the dugout but notably avoided any interaction with the Pakistan players. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s team members shook hands among themselves and proceeded to their dressing room.

Another notable moment after the match saw Pakistan players waiting for the Indian team to come out for the customary handshake, but the men in blue avoided the gesture and closed the dressing room gate.

This incident mirrored a similar moment at the start of the game, when both Pakistan and Indian skipper avoided shaking hands during the toss. 

After winning the toss, Salman elected to bat and walked past Suryakumar directly to join Ravi Shastri for the pre-match discussion, with Yadav following the same gesture. 

Pakistan’s decision to bat first backfired as they could only manage 127/9 in 20 overs despite Sahibzada Farhan’s gutsy knock. 

The Green Shirts suffered an early setback as top-order batters Saim Ayub (0) and Mohammad Haris (3) were dismissed inside the first two overs by Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, leaving Pakistan at 6/2.

Experienced Fakhar Zaman (17) joined Farhan at the crease, and the duo added 39 runs for the third wicket before Zaman was removed by Axar Patel in the eighth over. 

This triggered a middle-order collapse, with Pakistan slipping to 64/6 in 12.5 overs. Farhan, who anchored the innings, was eventually dismissed in the 17th over after scoring 40 off 44 balls, including three sixes and a four.

Lower-order contributions came from Shaheen Shah Afridi, who smashed a quick 33 off 16 deliveries with four sixes, supported by Faheem Ashraf (11) and Sufiyan Muqeem (10), adding valuable runs at the end.

Chasing a modest 128, India cruised to victory for the loss of three wickets with 25 balls to spare. 

Despite Shubman Gill falling in the second over, Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a blistering 31 off 13 balls, hitting two sixes and four fours before being dismissed by Saim Ayub in the fourth over.

With the score at 41/2 in 3.4 overs, Tilak Varma joined Suryakumar Yadav, and the duo added 56 runs for the third wicket. 

Varma was dismissed in the 13th over for 31 off 31 balls, but Suryakumar remained unbeaten on 47 off 37 deliveries, featuring five fours and a six—his highest T20I score against Pakistan.

Saim Ayub was Pakistan’s lone wicket-taker, finishing with three wickets for 35 runs in four overs.